Jump into January by designing decadent decor. This month's theme is all about creating fabulous spaces for you and your friends to enjoy in There. Read on for all the details about the "Party Place Challenge" and "While You Were Logged Off."

Party Place Challenge:

This is a test for Neighborhoods and PAZ communities to show their stuff. NH groups and PAZ communities will compete to see who can create the most fantastic party zone. Does your group have what it takes?

How will the Party Place Challenge work?

1. All Neighborhoods and PAZ communities are eligible to participate. If your group wants to participate, you must send an email to community@there.com (subject: Party Place Challenge) by no later than January 15th with the following information:

- Avatar name of the person who will be the primary contact for this challenge
- Valid email address for the primary contact, in case we need to get in touch with you (this information will not be shared with anyone)
- Name of NH or PAZ community
- DOID or link to the Lot/Zone you will be decorating

2. Neighborhoods should use a 1-acre lot, and PAZ communities should use a 1-acre PAZ. You are limited to 50 drops only (zone stacking is not allowed in this challenge). You can either start with an empty zone or take an existing zone and re-do it.

3. Your group will have until January 25th to finish decorating. By that date, we will need “before and after” screenshots of the zone. You may submit up to 5 screenshots (at least one screenshot must be a “before” picture), resolution 800x600. Please send these to community@there.com. Please don’t forget to include the name of the NH or PAZ community in your email!

4. On January 26th, we will publish links to all the Party Place Challenge locations and open the voting. Community members will have until January 31st to visit the party zones and vote for their favorites.

We will announce the winner of the Party Place Challenge by no later than February 6th. The winning zone will receive a free month’s rent (to be paid to the owner of the zone) and a special banner declaring it the winner! The winning zone will also be the site of a fabulous “Party Place Premiere” event, hosted by the There Community team.

While You Were Logged Off:

Do you mentally redecorate your friend's house or PAZ whenever you visit? Do you know someone with a flair for design and wish they would help you reinvent your venue? You're in luck, because this challenge will have members pairing up to decorate each other's spaces.

How will this work?

1. Two friends will work together and apply to be chosen as participants.  If selected, they will each redesign a room in the other person's home.  Each pair should submit a paragraph via email explaining why they want to participate and why they should be selected. The email should be submitted to community@there.com (Subject: While You Were Logged Off) by no later than January 17th and include the following information:

- The names of the two avatars who will be pairing up (only one of you should send the email)
- Valid email addresses where we may contact you and your friend if you are selected (these will not be shared with anyone)
- A paragraph explaining why you should be chosen
- DOIDs or links to the two locations that will be decorated
- 1-2 “before” screenshots (800x600 resolution) of the room each person will decorate

2. When all the applications are received, the Community team will meet and select up to 20 pairs of friends to participate. If you are selected, we will notify you on January 19th.

3. Each team that is selected will receive 30,000 Therebucks as seed money toward the project.  (This is a little something to help you get started.  Ultimately, you may spend as much or as little above the seed amount as you wish.) They will then set off to decorate their friend’s space without the other person seeing what they are doing. They will have until January 31st to complete the work.

4. By January 31st at Noon Pacific, each participant should submit up to 3 “after” screenshots of their room design to community@there.com (800x600 resolution).

Wednesday, January 31st, at 6pm Pacific/9pm Eastern will be the date and time of the reveal. All participants should be able to attend at this time and be available until 8pm Pacific/11pm Eastern. We will visit each location, where the creator will reveal the new room layout for his or her friend to see.   

All participants will receive a special "While You Were Logged Off" memento to display in world.  They will also have a chance at being selected as a featured home on the There Designer Showcase web site.

Note: Please be aware that participating in "While You Were Logged Off" will require you to give extra access to your house, clubhouse, lot, or zone to the person you are paired up with. Please take this into consideration when choosing a partner.

Other Themed Events:

The "Party Place Challenge" and "While You Were Logged Off" are the major happenings for January's  Dress Up Your Digs theme.  Some members have also scheduled events to help you learn how to build and decorate, and there are many yard sales and flea markets where you can shop for a new look for the new year.  As the saying goes, one person's trash is another person's treasure.  Happy hunting!

Check out the events list here.